The invention herein relates to electrical cables and wire harnesses in vehicles and more particularly relates to cables in combat vehicles such as tanks.
Typical electrical cables in tanks have a single bundle of insulated wires surrounded by a metal braided or meshed sleeve. This sleeve shunts electro-magnetic energy away from the wire bundle when the bundle carries electrical current. The mesh sleeve thereby reduces the electromagnetic signature of the tank and prevents false electrical signals from being generated within the cable. Surrounding the mesh is a hose-like elastomeric skin for protecting the wire bundle from substances such as fuel, oil, dirt, or chemicals used to decontaminate the tank after it is chemically or biologically attacked. The skin is made of material that will shrink upon heating, and during fabrication of the cable the wire bundle and meshed sleeve are inserted loosely into an oversized skin and this skin is heated. The skin shrinks conformingly onto the bundle/sleeve subassembly.
Electrical cables in tanks are generally difficult to access since they are routed behind interior components of the tank such as bulkheads, control panels, ammunition racks and the like. In addition, the drive train, fuel system, exhaust system and other subassemblies often partially block access to a given cable. Consequently, replacement of a wire in the wire bundle requires not only removal and replacement of the cable, but also requires a substantial amount of time and labor to remove and replace components near the cable. The extensive repair time needed to replace cables is costly and can critically reduce the tank's availability in a battle or wartime scenario. Also, modernization or upgrading the electrical system of a tank can be difficult if cables with different wiring are needed.